When it comes to raising taxes, Jay Inslee is like a kid at Toys R Us

Jay Inslee is predictable.  And pathological. 

         When it comes to raising taxes, Jay Inslee is like a kid at Toys R Us.  He asks for it all.  He wants it all. 

         That’s why it’s so essential that all of us teach Jay Inslee that he can’t have it all.  Because we — the taxpayers — can’t afford it all.  Like responsible fathers and mothers, we need to provide parental guidance to our child. 

          I don’t believe Jay Inslee did the Democrats any favors by proposing $5.2 billion in higher taxes ($8 billion per budget when fully phased in).  In order for an opening bid in a negotiation to be taken seriously, it has to be realistic.  It has to be credible.

        Jay Inslee’s tax hikes aren’t.  He might as well as proposed $5.2 trillion — it’s just as silly and preposterous.  It’s La La Land lunacy.

         When I traveled down to Olympia to testify at last week’s legislative hearing, I wanted to emphasize that point.  For those who didn’t get the chance to see it, here’s that 2 minutes again:

          The Everett Herald reports that Inslee’s tax increases total $5.2 billion (Inslee’s $46.7B budget plan: $5.2B in new and higher taxes, http://www.heraldnet.com/news/inslee-proposes-46-7b-budget-reliance-on-taxes-criticized/).  The last time Democrats went on a tax-hiking extravaganza, it was 2010.  With supermajority control of the house and senate, they raised taxes $800 million … and their tax hike resulted in a huge public backlash.  Inslee’s proposed $5.2 billion in tax increases is 6 times bigger ($8 billion is 10 times bigger). 

       Jay Inslee’s tax hikes can’t be taken seriously.  But there are tax-hiking Democrats who will try to use Inslee’s numbers as a foil (“Our tax hikes are 10 times smaller than Inslee’s” they’ll say).  Those Democrats are dangerous.  And Republican legislators, and voters with the initiative process, need to be there, and be ready to respond.

       You can count on us to fight against state and local government’s insatiable tax appetite.  The voters’ passage of our Initiative 1366 last year certainly shows that the people are in no mood for any tax hikes, let alone increases next year totaling $5.2 billion.